As Steve so eloquently put it in a text message to me right after the release of United State of Pop 2009 (Blame it on the Pop), "EARWORM is on another level." It's true. His 2009 mashup is electric. A source that I can't remember had "autotune" as the word of the year of 2009. And Blame it on the Pop hits it on the nose.
Those of you who are with us in Mark Zuckerberg-land already know my opinions on this. Simply put, I think the 2008 version is better done than the 2009. I may have overstated this in the past though. The problem with comparing these songs is the same as when comparing two fantastic wines: two works of art that for some reason or another just capture our attention. A background song/taste that holds everything together. Overtones of each hook, each subtlety. The occasional violator ("Guess what? I liked it!" puts a quick metallic taste in my mouth), but one that is instantly forgotten when the next hit is a fruitful Ne-Yo taste.
Viva la Pop is for sitting and jamming. Blame it on the Pop is for feeling good. It's in my personality to like listening to 2009 more, but 2008 soars high above the music scene. I've never been disappointed with the way pop music has progressed and moved forward since I have been listening to it. If Earworm can see 2010 from his level, I'm sure he'd agree "this year's remix" will be simply incredible.
Can you explain autotune to me?
ReplyDeleteAutotune, generally, is an electronic way of tuning someones voice to the correct pitch. You could autotune someone who is singing the wrong notes so they are not off, or for that matter autotune plain speech (someone talking not singing) to make it into the melody you want. In other cases (often in pop music), it's used to get that electronic/robotic voice (see Akon, Jason Derulo in recent months). I personally think it's brilliant, though critics argue it's ruining the music industry by ensuring that anyone, no matter how terrible their voice, can be a pop star.
ReplyDeleteAutoTune's principal domains right now are R&B and hip-hop. Its infiltration of the latter has left one Shawn Carter mightily pissed off. He launched a classic old-man-on-the-lawn screed, "DoA (Death of Autotune)", in '09.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, T-Pain brought AutoTune to the forefront with '07's delightfully weird "Buy You A Drank". Jay acknowledges him (and Wayne, who not coincidentally murdered DoA on his own mixtape) as a "correct" user of autotune -- one who employs the technology not merely to correct pitch sins, but to create something artistically fresh.
I should not try to explain Autotune at 3 AM... Can't believe I overlooked T-Pain...
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